Working night shift or rotating shift can be really exhausting. Honestly, even working a regular 9-5 job can be exhausting. Long days at work on top of home and family obligations can make fast food very tempting. Furthermore, life happens. There are workdays that are very hectic and life events that can make a fast-food meal the most viable option. Let me be clear, an occasional fast-food meal isn’t an issue, but relying it on it regularly is. Regular consumption of fast food can have a profound effect on energy, weight, sleep and digestive health. This is why shift workers should avoid fast food whenever they can.
Why Do Shift Workers Rely on Fast Food?
Shift workers are usually critical employees that provide the essential services that keep our world functioning comfortably 24/7. The odd hours, exhaustion, stress and limited food options are why shift workers eat fast food.
Long and Unpredictable Work Hours
Many shift workers work 12 hours or more. Not including commute time, that’s half of an entire day! Working long hours makes traditional meal preparation difficult if not impossible. This is where fast-food, take-out meals, or vending machine food becomes the day’s meal.
Limited Breaks and Food Options
In addition to working long shifts, the shift worker usually has very limited meal and break times. Hectic shifts can really upset meal and break times leaving the shift worker unable to eat their meals on a healthy schedule. This often means that the shift worker doesn’t eat anything until they’re very, very hungry. Very hungry shift workers gravitate towards foods that are comforting and often high in calories. Furthermore, many establishments aren’t open during odd hours. That limits the shift worker’s food options to fast food or vending machine food.
Fatigue and Lack of Motivation to Cook
Working night shift and rotating shift is exhausting! Fatigue really hinders any motivation to cook. Even people who work a more conventional schedule find themselves too tired to prepare a healthy meal.
Increased Hunger and Cravings
People who regularly have disrupted sleep cycles because they work night shift or rotating shift have the hormones involved involved in hunger and satiety in disarray. They have more elevated levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and more depressed levels of leptin, the satiety hormone. This results in increased hunger and cravings. Fast food has a comforting effect on people that have their hunger hormones in disarray.
Convenience and Affordability
Fast food has always been convenient and relatively cheap. People who work night shift, rotating shift and just busy people in general are naturally going to favor the ease and affordability of a fast food meal. Who really wants to spend time cooking and cleaning the kitchen when all they have to do is pick something up at the drive through. Oftentimes, the path of least resistance wins.
Why is Fast Food Bad for Shift Workers?
Earlier, I mentioned that people who work night shift and rotating shift have disrupted hunger hormones. Leptin, the hunger hormone that tells your brain you have had enough is depressed. Ghrelin, the hunger hormone that tells your brain that your body needs food is elevated. The first effect of this hormonal imbalance is unwanted weight gain. Add fast food to the equation, and there could be a real problem
Fast Food is Often High in Calories
A typical fast food meal for an adult averages over 800 calories. Loaded up meals and combo meals such as a large burger, fries and a soda can be up to 1,500 calories just for one meal. That’s nearly an entire day’s worth of calories in just one meal! Sugary drinks, sauces and dips can add an extra few hundred calories without helping you feel full and without adding extra nutrition. They’re literally empty calories.
Fast Food Can Be High in Unhealthy Fats
Fast food is often deep fried, that’s one of the reasons it tastes good. It is often high in unhealthy saturated fats and even trans fats. These unhealthy fats raise low density lipoproteins, the bad cholesterol, and they contribute to cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, unsaturated and trans fats contribute to unwanted weight gain and very unhealthy visceral fat.
Fast Food Can Contain Excessive Sodium
A single fast food meal has anywhere from 1,500-2,000 milligrams of sodium. This is in entire day’s worth of sodium in one meal. The salt, that makes savory foods taste good, is very abundant in fast food. Fast food and the condiments and dipping sauces are high in sodium from flavor enhancers and preservatives. Excess sodium can cause thirst, water retention, and high blood pressure.
Fast Food Can be High in Added Sugar
Many fast food items such as shakes, sodas, fruity refresher drinks, and iced coffees are very high in sugar. Excess sugar is also found in dips, sauces and dressings. Foods that are high in sugar can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes, and that always is followed by energy crashes. Blood sugar spikes and crashes can be very fatiguing on a long shift, they can cause weight gain and contribute to insulin resistance and possibly diabetes.
Fast Food is Often Low in Fiber
The ingredients used in fast food are highly processed white flour, potatoes, white rice, and sugars that no longer have the natural fiber. Also, fast food meals often lack high fiber foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Fiber in foods gives a feeling of fullness, it stabilizes blood sugar, and it helps with better digestion.
7 Ways Fast Food Can Affect Shift Workers
People who work rotating shift are already taxing their bodies with irregular work and sleep schedules. Adding processed fast food to the equation can really exacerbate health and lifestyle pain points.
1. It Can Contribute to Weight Gain
Fast food is usually very calorie dense. Furthermore, the portion size is often very large. A large portion of an already calorie dense food is going to be a real calorie bomb. Add to that, many fast food meals are consumed with a sugary beverage such as a soda or a milkshake. When consumed on a regular basis, these high calorie meals are going to cause a significant weight gain. Irregular work schedules already make healthy weight management challenging, don’t make it more difficult with regular consumption of high calorie fast foods.
2. It May Leave You Feeling Tired and Sluggish
As I mentioned earlier, fast food meals are often rather large and calorie dense. Eating a very large meal is often followed by a profound fatigue or a “food coma”. Shift work is exhausting enough, don’t make it harder on yourself by eating yourself into a food coma. Feeling full isn’t the same as being well nourished. Smaller meals of nutrient dense foods give you the sustained energy to work through a long shift.
3. It Can Make Healthy Sleep More Difficult
Eating large, heavy or fatty meals take longer to digest. Easting such a meal close to bedtime can disrupt sleep because your digestive system is having to work extra hard when you want to go to bed. Also, lying down with a full stomach can contribute to acid reflux. Lastly, big, greasy meals can cause abdominal bloat and discomfort, and that can interfere with falling asleep. It’s much better on your body to eat a moderate sized meal a few hours before bedtime so the body can process it before you fall asleep.
4. It Can Contribute to Digestive Discomfort
Whether it is fast food or a large home cooked meal, large, heavy fatty meals can really cause digestive issues such as bloating, heartburn and indigestion. Don’t feel compelled to supersize a meal or go back for seconds just because you can.
5. It May Make it Harder to Get Enough Fiber and Micronutrients
When fast food becomes a dietary mainstay, heathy high fiber foods get displaced. High fiber foods that are rich in micronutrients can prevent digestive issues such as constipation and irritable bowel. Always include nutrient dense foods such as:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains
- Beans and legumes
6. It Can Make Blood Sugar Management More Difficult
A lot of fast food is made up of highly processed, refined carbohydrates such as white flour and starch. These processed carbohydrates lack fiber and have a very high glycemic index. Furthermore, a lot of fast food meals are accompanied with a sugary drink such as soda. Meals such as this can cause a blood sugar spike that is followed by an insulin dump. Over time, this pattern can contribute to weight gain, insulin resistance and even Type 2 diabetes.
7. It Can Become a Habit That is Difficult to Break
Fast food is formulated to be very palatable and comforting. It can become very habit forming. When you finish a long shift, you’re tired, you want to take the path of least resistance so you do what is easiest and most convenient. It can be picking something up at the drive through or ordering a pizza. Before you know it, you’re in a cycle you can’t break.
Why Fast Food Can Be Especially Problematic on Night Shift
In earlier blog posts, I talked about how night shift disrupts the body’s natural sleep/wake cycle. I also discussed how a disrupted sleep/wake cycle throws the hormones that regulate hunger in disarray. Night shift is when fast food can be the most alluring because it is formulated to be very palatable and comforting.
My Experience
Having worked rotating shift since 2014, I have learned what to eat on night shift and what to avoid. The first order of business is to never, ever eat anything that is heavy, fatty and and high in calories. Big heavy meals are more work for your body to digest and they make you fatigued. Working night shift is exhausting enough, don’t complicate it any more by eating something that will put you in a food coma. Save that for a day off.
A few small, easy to digest meals will get you through night shift much better than a big heavy meal. Smaller meals spaced out will keep your blood sugar steady and your mind more alert.
What Should Shift Workers Eat Instead of Fast Food?
As much as I have talked about how relying on fast food is bad for you, I want to present a solution. The best meals for shift workers are going to be protein rich, balanced, and low to moderate calories.
Protein Rich Foods
Protein is a very important macronutrient. It is not only a building block of our bodies, it can make you feel full for hours and it is conducive to building muscle and burning fat when an exercise program is incorporated into your lifestyle. My favorite sources of protein are the following:
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Greek yogurt
- Beans
- Fish and seafood
- Lean meats such as lean ground beef or ground bison
High Fiber Carbohydrates
High fiber carbohydrates giver you a feeling of fullness, they’re full of micronutrients, and they’re rich in fiber for optimum gut health. Even better, many high fiber carbohydrate foods are very affordable. My favorites are:
- Thick cut or steel cut oats
- Brown rice
- Whole grain bread, I love Ezekiel bread. Dave’s Killer Bread is very good too.
- Potatoes or sweet potatoes
- Whole grain or lentil pasta
- Beans
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetable are also very high in fiber and rich in vital micronutrients. There are so many varieties of fruits and veggies, that there is something for everyone. I prefer to buy and portion out my fruits and veggies because it is cheaper, but you can easily purchase fruit and vegetables already cut up and portioned if you prefer. Grocery stores, and even gas stations and truck stops have little fruit and veggie plates that are cut up and ready to eat.
Healthy Fats
Healthy fats help modulate cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation, and provide sustained energy. They also help the body absorb essential nutrients, and they support brain and eye health. Even better, healthy fats help our meals taste good and they leave us satiated. My favorite healthy fats are the following:
- Nuts and seeds
- Avocado
- Nut butters
- Olive oil based salad dressings
Water and Healthier Beverages
This is big one, don’t drink your calories. Hydration is paramount in staying alert through long shifts. Instead of sugary sodas, sweet tea, and coffee drinks loaded up with syrups and creamers, drink water or herbal teas. If you’re not partial to water, squeeze a lemon or a lime in it and/or put a little squirt of flavor enhancer in it. If you need energy, Yerba Mate or unsweetened iced or hot tea is a great way to get caffeine and needed hydration in one drink. Black coffee or coffee with a touch of milk, half and half, or whipping cream is another low calorie drink.
Healthy Fast Food Alternatives for Shift Workers
The goal isn’t perfection; it’s having convenient options ready before hunger hits. I’m a meal prep fiend, I prep everything before my work week. All I have to do is grab my food for the day, put it in my lunchbox and go. It’s that easy. My favorite foods to have on hand are:
- Meal prepped bowls
- Sandwiches and wraps
- Overnight oats
- Green salads with lean protein and healthy dressing
- Leftovers
- Soup
- Greek yogurt with fruit and granola
How to Stop Relying on Fast Food During Shift Work
The convenience and palatability of fast food can make it very habit forming. It’s perfectly understandable; you work hard, you get tired after work, and you want to get something that is fast and has no clean up. Here are some easy solutions:
Meal Prep
Meal prepping is the easiest and most convenient option to have food ready. This consists of preparing meals on an off day and partitioning everything in containers to eat throughout the week. A cheap and easy way to repurposes leftovers is to partition it into containers to be eaten later.
Pack Food the Night Before
True confession, I don’t always get around to meal prep on an off day. Life happens. Sometimes I’m busier on my days off than on my workdays; other days, I’m just plain tired and I don’t want to. This is when I pack my meals the night before I go into work. Some meals such as salads and sandwiches don’t age well when prepped days in advance, but they are very good when made the night before day shift or right before going into night shift.
Keep Emergency Snacks at Work
I like to keep bag of healthy snacks handy anytime I’m hungry for something. If you have a personal space at work like a locker, I recommend keeping a little stash. If you don’t, just keep something extra in your lunchbox. Here’s a nifty Healthy Snack printable. It’s going to be cheaper and much healthier than anything from a fast food restaurant or a vending machine. My favorites are:
- Nuts
- Cheese sticks or string cheese
- Fruit
- Whole grain crackers
- Protein rich snacks such as tuna packets or meat sticks
Don’t Wait Until You’re Starving
Everyone has their own meal schedule when they are at work, but don’t wait until you’re starving if you can help it. Low blood sugar and hunger can not only make you drowsy, but it can compel you to overeat and overeat something that isn’t so good for you.
How to Make Healthier Choices When You Have to Eat Fast Food
Sometimes life happens and you have no choice but to get a fast food meal. Here are some easy guidelines to avoid some of unhealthy parts of fast food while getting the convenience and ease.
- Choose baked or grilled over fried options when available
- Add vegetables and fruit whenever possible
- Choose water or an unsweetened beverage
- Don’t super-size it
- Go easy on the high calorie sauces and toppings or omit them all together
Final Takeaway
Fast food isn’t something shift workers need to fear or eliminate. The bigger concern is making it a regular substitute for balanced, nutrient dense meals. Plan ahead, prepare convenient meals, keep healthy snacks available, and make the healthier choice the easiest choice during your shift.
